The one
sub-genre of racing games I've seem to have
noticed to appear the most of on the Gamecube is off-road racing. For
example, look at Freekstyle, MX Superfly, Smuggler's Run Warzones
(although it's not entirely motocross), Big Air Freestyle, and even the
miserable Jeremy McGrath Supercross. It's not a bad thing, but it's the
one type of racing that seems to be in abundance on the system. ATV 2
brings a little something of it's own to the genre, which is also
something we've seen for the first time on the Gamecube: quad racing.
While ATV 2 is not a bad first shot at the ATV sub-genre, the end
result plays out in familiarity for more than one reason. One, the
game play feels a lot Sony's ATV Offroad Fury games (although there
seems to be more weight with he bikes, here). Second, the engine looks
strikingly familiar. But more on that later.

The
premise of this game is fairly simple, much like many other racing
games. You race to place first and unlock special riders and courses.
You can also partake in a stunt mode as well as a challenge mode. The
game's main modes include the Career and Arcade modes, which play
differently depending on which one you choose. Arcade pretty much takes
you from course to course, and overall rank is not as important as it
should be. It does feel relaxed compared to the Career mode, and it is
an easier way to unlock the courses. But it won't win you new vehicles.
You'll need to be in the Career mode for that. Place first, earn a new
ride. Plus, you'll need to stay as high on the rankings as possible.
After you're done, you can access the Custom mode, where you can create
custom championships. You can also go into the stunt mode, where you
can try to go for the best score within the time period you select. The
Challenge mode is a large trial course, with obstacles, ramps and so
forth. Kind of like Super Monkey Ball, but with ATVs. It sounds pretty
meaty, especially when you have 15 courses. But there's not enough of
the stunt courses or challenge stages offered, and the career mode is
not nearly as varied as it could be. It doesn't end up as a crappy
game, but rather a game that gives you only a few bites of what can be
a great thing, leaving you wanting more, especially when compared to
Sony's offerings on the PS2.

The
game plays pretty well. Seeing how the first ATV Quad Power Racing
tanked on the PS1, you can't help but be skeptical of how the sequel
does. Especially by the same developer (Climax). But ATV 2 feels like a
whole new game. The controls are pretty tight (though not as arcadey as
ATV Offroad Fury), the course layout is pretty well designed, and it
doesn't feel like a sluggish mess. I think the only problem in the
design is with the stunt system. Like other games I've played, such as
Freekstyle, you earn a boost by doing stunts. It worked out okay for
Freekstyle, since it had a responsive trick system. Here, your tricks
may or may not register. This could lead to lost boosts that you depend
on, seeing how boosting is sort of a critical aspect to winning. Also,
it seems like you earn more boost for doing bicycles and wheelies
(flatland tricks) than you do with half of the air tricks that are
available. If the stunt you pull scores high, why not get more boost
than one that scores lower? I kind of wish that games like these would
not depend on a boost system so much, since the computer can tend to
manipulate the system in it's favor.

In
the beginning of this review, I stated that this game looked
"strikingly familiar" (when it comes to visuals). That's because this
game looks a lot like Rally Fusion, which was also developed by Climax.
The release dates also seem to be not that far apart between the two
games, either. It's likely that the games used similar graphics
engines. The game looks smoother and a little sharper than Rally
Fusion, but then again I played Rally Fusion on the PS2, where games
tend to have aliasing problems, which Gamecube games usually have the
lines smoothed out. The textures are a little more sharper than Fusion,
and the lighting seems to be a little more improved. Also, the
frame rate never really bogs down, and stays at a near-constant 60 FPS.
The riders and bikes seem to be the only downfall, in an overall nice
graphical package. The riders and bikes look pretty plain, and fairly
low on the polygon count. I know there's not a lot to an ATV, but I
think a little more detail could have been added, such as stickers or
maybe a little more detail to the body.

The
audio isn't bad, but not phenomenal, either. You have seven rock
tracks which you may or may not like, and from groups you may have
never heard of. Compared to the soundtracks offered in other Acclaim
extreme sports titles (as well as many other games in general), this
roster seems fairly weak. The ATVs sound alright, but I think they
sound a little more like angry bees than ATVs. I've driven one quite a
few times before, and they're pretty loud. Also sputtery, too. It's odd
how sounds of vehicles vary from game to game, and you never know which
developer nails the effects, and which ones don't.

Final
Thought

Overall,
ATV 2 is a game that is fairly good for being the only
ATV-based game on the system. Climax could have improved on the trick
system, and offer more depth, which is really what the game needs to be
a great whole product, instead of one that feels like something is
missing. It's fairly fun and easy to get into, which is something that
they got right. Also, the racing and the pace is not as boring as it
was in MX Superfly, which I didn't like too much. But overall, the game
just feels like a taste of something that could have had a lot of
potential. As it is, it's sufficient enough for any Gamecube owner
looking for an ATV racer that they would get a little use out of. But
if you also own a PS2, and are a fan of ATV racing games, then you
pretty much know how much more ATV Offroad Fury offers in terms of
depth, and chances are you'll already have one of those games in the
series instead of this one. As for being the only ATV game on the
Gamecube, it's a fully serviceable game that winds up being on the
short
side.

Published
By :ACCLAIM

Developed
By: CLIMAX

Year Published :
2003

Players :
1-2

ESRB Rating:
EVERYONE

OVERALL
SCORE7.6

VISUALS

8.2

AUDIO

7.9

GAMEPLAY

8.0

REPLAY
VALUE

7.5

INNOVATION

7.5

On the
Gamecube, you really don't have a choice in ATV racers. Luckily, this
one isn't that bad.

MX
Superfly

ATV
Offroad Fury 2 and 3

2003-2006 SPM
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